Although proposals have already been made for installations for the total, cold treatment of refuse by settling out in a liquid medium in order to achieve a first separation of the heavy and light elements for subjecting them to different cycles of operations, all such proposals were for the treatment of large quantities of household or industrial waste which are brought to such installations by regular collections; in spite of a certain rationalization, standardization of trash cans, and an obligation to use leak-proof bags, it cannot be denied that such installations and methods of collection contribute to the pollution and deterioration of our streets and that it appears desirable to attempt to treat waste materials as rapidly as possible and before they are thrown into the street to be picked up.